Reiki
Reiki is an alternative and complementary therapy. It is a non-invasive energy healing technique that promotes relaxation and reduces stress and anxiety by gently releasing traumas and balancing the life energy. Reiki practitioners deliver reiki energy to your body with a gentle touch of the hands or across a distance, improving the flow and balance of your energy to support healing.
According to practitioners, energy can stagnate in the body where there has been physical injury or even emotional pain. In time, these energy blocks can cause illness. Energy medicine aims to help the flow of energy and remove blocks in a similar way to acupuncture, acupressure or Reflexology. Reiki practitioners recognize that improving the flow of energy around the body can enable relaxation, relieve pain, speed healing and reduce other symptoms of illness.
For those feeling an imbalance mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically, Reiki has the potential to help restore harmony.
Reiki practitioners understand that spiritual, mental, emotional and physical energy operating harmoniously helps to improve
a person's overall health and wellness and ensure the body and mind can perform optimally.
In this balanced state, the human body is capable of healing itself.
What Should you Expect During a Reiki Treatment?
During a Reiki treatment, you lie down on a treatment table, fully clothed. The Reiki practitioner gently places their hands, palms down, on or just above your body in specific energy locations. The length of time that the practitioner leaves their hands in each position is determined by the flow of energy through their hands at each location. Reiki differs from other touch therapies in that there is no pressure, massage or manipulation involved.
Most people feel very relaxed and peaceful during a Reiki treatment, and many fall asleep during the treatment. Reiki can also be performed at a distance, such as with a video or voice call.
What are the Benefits of Reiki?
Reiki promotes relaxation, stress reduction and symptom relief to improve overall health and well-being. Benefits of Reiki include:
Bringing on a meditative state
Fostering tissue and bone healing after injury or surgery
Stimulating your body’s immune system
Promoting natural self-healing
Relieving pain and tension
Supporting the well-being of those receiving traditional medical treatments
Relieving depression and anxiety
More on Reiki
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Multiple studies report no adverse effects from Reiki, likely because it is a non-invasive treatment. It is safe for pregnant mothers too, because babies love Reiki.
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Mikao Usui developed Usui Reiki Ryoho, the most current form of Reiki, in 1922. However, people have practiced Reiki for about 2,500 years. “Reiki” is derived from the Japanese words rei, meaning “universal,” and ki, which refers to the vital life force energy that flows through all living things. Reiki is now used all over the world, including in hospitals and hospices, to complement other forms of health treatments. Reiki is not a religion.
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Yes, we provide Reiki training and certification in the Usui Shiki Ryoho, the Usui System of Reiki Healing. Please inquire if you are interested in our training programming.
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Reiki reduces pain, depression, nausea, fatigue and anxiety:
Research(1) published in the British Medical Journal of Support and Palliative Care showed that Reiki therapy is useful for relieving pain, decreasing anxiety/depression and improving quality of life. It was found that Reiki treatment may create feelings of peace, relaxation, security and wellness.
Research(2) at a rural medical centre published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine in 2018 found that Reiki was significantly more effective than massage for reducing pain and improving symptoms of nausea, depression and feelings of well being in hospital patients.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School followed 99 patients at multiple sites to determine the effects of a single Reiki session. The study(3) - a single arm effectiveness study published in 2019 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine—found statistically significant improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as pain and nausea.
Reiki treatments may be used as part of a treatment plan to help relieve depression. In a 2010 study(4) published in Gerontological Nursing, researchers looked at the effects of Reiki on older adults experiencing pain, depression, or anxiety. The participants reported an improvement of their physical symptoms, mood, and well-being. They also reported more feelings of relaxation, increased curiosity, and enhanced levels of self-care.
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In another 2015 study(5) published in the Journal of Pain Management Nursing, researchers looked at the effects of Reiki on women following caesarean delivery. They found that Reiki significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and the breathing rate in women 1-2 days after having a caesarean delivery. The need for and number of analgesic pain killers was also reduced.
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Additional research suggests Reiki helps with depression and insomnia. A 2012 study(6) in the Indian Journal of Positive Psychology looked at 40 women who suffered from depression and anxiety. Half of the group received a Reiki treatment twice a week for 10 weeks and the other half received no treatment. The women who received Reiki saw significant improvements in both their depression symptoms and sleep quality.
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A 2018 study(7) published in the Journal of Evidence Based Integrative Medicine compared the use of Reiki to physiotherapy for relieving lower back pain in people with herniated disks. Both treatments were found to be equally effective at relieving pain, but Reiki was more cost-effective and, in some cases, resulted in faster treatment.
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A 2014 study(8) published in the Journal of Science ELO Brasil showed that Reiki had a positive effect on reducing abnormal blood pressure, suggesting it to be a complementary technique for the control of hypertension.
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In a 2016 study(9) published in the Journal of Nursing, it was shown that Reiki was an effective approach to reducing post-surgical pain in knee replacement patients. This complementary therapy could reduce the dependence upon harder analgesic medications such as narcotics and the risks associated with their use.
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The most well-documented benefits of Reiki revolve around the relaxation response, which practitioners say invokes the body’s natural healing process. Dr. Rachel Lampert, M.D., a professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, and her colleagues studied(10) 37 patients after having a heart attack. The patients were randomized into three groups: patients who simply rested, those who received a single session of Reiki treatment from a nurse trained in Reiki and those who listened to relaxing music. The Yale researchers found that patients who received Reiki had a significantly improved emotional state, which was associated with better post-heart attack outcomes.
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A 2015 study(11) published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention found that people being treated for cancer who received distant Reiki in addition to regular medical care had lower levels of pain, anxiety, and fatigue. These levels were significantly lower than the control group, who only received medical care. Participants had 30-minute sessions of distant Reiki for five days.
The positive benefits of reiki can enhance your overall well-being. Researchers in a 2016 study(12) published in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing found that Reiki was helpful in improving the quality of life for women with cancer. Women who had Reiki showed improvements to their sleep patterns, self-confidence, and depression levels. They noted a sense of calm, inner peace, and relaxation.
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Billot M, Daycard M, Tchalla A, Wood C. Reiki therapy for pain, anxiety and quality of life. BMJ Support Palliat Care. 2019 Dec; 9(4): 434-438. doi: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2019-001775
Vergo MT, Pinkson BM, Broglio K, Li Z, Tosteson TD. Immediate symptom relief after a first session of massage therapy or Reiki in hospitalized patients: a 5-year clinical experience from a rural academic medical center. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2018 Aug 1;24(8):801-8.
Dyer NL, Baldwin AL, Rand WL. A large-scale effectiveness trial of Reiki for physical and psychological health. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2019 Dec 1;25(12):1156-62.
Richeson NE, Spross JA, Lutz K, Peng C. Effects of Reiki on anxiety, depression, pain and physiological factors in community-dwelling older adults. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 2010; 3 (3): 187-199. doi: 10.3928/19404921-20100601-01
Midilli TS, Eser I. Effects of Reiki on post-cesarean delivery pain, anxiety, and hemodynamic parameters: a randomized controlled clinical trial. Journal of Pain Management Nursing. June 2015; 16 (3): 388-399. Doi: 10.1016/j.pmn.2014.09.005.
Chaudhary M, Kumar S. The effectiveness of reiki and acupressure on insomnia and depression. Indian Journal of Positive Psychology. 2012 Dec 1;3(4):411.
Jahantigh F, Abdollahimohammad A, Firouzkouh M, Ebrahiminejad V. Effects of Reiki versus physiotherapy on relieving lower back pain and improving activities of daily living of patients with intervertebral disc hernia. Journal of Evidence Based Integrative Medicine. 2018 Jan-Dec; 23:2515690X18762745. doi: 10.1177/2515690X18762745.
Salles LF, Vannucci L, Salles A, Silva MJ. The effect of Reiki on blood hypertension. Acta Paulista de Enfermagem. 2014 Sep;27:479-84.
Notte BB, Fazzini C, Mooney RA. Reiki's effect on patients with total knee arthroplasty. Journal of Nursing. 2016 Feb; 46 (2): 17-23. doi: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000476246.16717.65.
Burg M, Friedman R.S.C, Lampert R.J. Physiologic effect of relaxation therapies on autonomic tone early after acute coronary syndromes. Yale J Biol Med. 2008 Jun: 81(2): 59-102.
Demir M, Can G, Kelam A, Aydiner A. Effects of distant Reiki on pain, anxiety and fatigue in oncology patients. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2015;16(12): 4859-62. doi: 10.7314/apjcp.2015.16.12.4859.
Kirshbaum MN, Stead M, Bartys S. An exploratory study of Reiki experiences in women who have cancer. International Journal of Palliative Nursing. 2016; 22: doi: 10.12968/ijpn.2016.22.4.166.